01/31/2014: USAF air lifters are seen in these photos in the snow and the clearing of the air field for operations on January 22, 2014.
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Credit:436th Airlift Wing:1/22/14
Preparing an Osprey Engine for Cleaning at Sea
01/31/2014: Sgt. Thomas G. Beams and Cpl. James Mason prepare an MV-22 Osprey for an engine wash on the flight deck of the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4).
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Credit: USS Boxer (LHD 4):12/3/13
- In the second photo, Cpl. James Mason prepares the engine of an MV-22 Osprey to be washed on the flight deck of the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4).
- In the final photo, Cpl. James Mason performs an engine wash for an MV-22 Osprey on the flight deck of the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4).
Boxer is the flagship for the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group and, with the embarked 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, is deployed in support of maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility.
USAF Support to Central African Mission
01/25/201401/25/2014: A C-17 Globemaster III out of McChord Air Force Base, Wash., prepares to take off from Entebbe Airport, Uganda, Jan. 23, 2014.
U.S. forces will transport a total number of 850 Rwandan soldiers and more than 1,000 tons of equipment into the Central African Republic to aid French and African Union operations against militants during this three-week-long operation
In photo 2, Master Sgt. Joaquim Chacon, 571st Contingency Response Group based out of Travis Air Force Base, Calif., inspects the landing gear of a C-17 Globemaster III prior to taking off from Entebbe Airport, Uganda, Jan. 23, 2014.
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Credit:Headquarters U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa:1/23/14
US Airlift Rwandan Soldiers to CAR
01/25/2014: U.S. forces will transport a total number of 850 Rwandan soldiers and more than 1000 tons of equipment into the Central African Republic to aid French and African Union operations against militants during this three week-long operation.
Credit:Headquarters U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa:1/23/14
According to a story published on 1/20/14 by US Air Forces in Europe by Captain Christine Gutherie:
Two U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III aircraft operating at the request of the French government and African Union authorities continued airlifting a Rwandan mechanized battalion Jan. 19.
The joint operation with personnel from the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force is in support of an African Union effort to confront destabilizing forces and violence within Central African Republic.
“The African Union has decided to stand up a mission in the Central African Republic to decrease the violence that has been occurring over the last several months,” Lt. Col. Allen Pepper, senior officer in Central African Republic, U.S. Army Africa said. “A part of that is getting enough troops on the ground to execute that mission.”
Each airlift mission stages out of Entebbe, Uganda and consists of transporting soldiers and equipment from Kigali, Rwanda to Bangui, Central Africa Republic.
Maj. Micah Vander Veen, Contingency Response Element commander, and overall mission commander for the Entebbe stage said, “Our goal is to provide logistical and airlift support to the Rwandan military in order to support their overall mission.”
In Kigali, forces from the 21st Theater Sustainment Command, 435th Contingency Response Group, U.S. Army Africa and Rwandan mechanized battalion work together to prepare equipment to be loaded onto the C-17 aircraft. Personnel build pallets containing security equipment, clear weapons and create load plans.
“What the Rwandans are doing in Central Africa is very important, they are preventing mass atrocities and helping to stabilize the Central African Republic,” said Lt. Col. David Hernandez, Mission Coordination Cell Rwanda officer in charge. “For this reason, the support we are providing to them is important.”
The joint U.S. military contingent is expected to transport about 850 Rwandan soldiers and more than 1,000 tons of equipment in total over the next few weeks.
This is the second such operation in support of the African Union’s efforts to stabilize Central African Republic. The first occurred late last year when the U.S. Air Force transported Burundi soldiers.
Although the situation is stabilizing in Bangui, additional forces are needed to reinforce the progress being made.
Exercising Lift and Tanking Support Surge Capabilities
01/24/201401/24/2014: An “Elephant Walk,” comprising 12 KC-10 Extenders and six C-17 Globemaster IIIs from the 305th Air Mobility Wing, was held Nov. 21, 2013, as part of a training exercise at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J.
The exercise enabled aircrew, maintenance, command post and operational support personnel to test their ability to launch a mass amount of aircraft in support of real-world operations. An Elephant Walk is a nose-to-tail taxi formation.
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Credit:Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst:11/21/13
CJTF-Horn of Africa Response Force in South Sudan
01/24/2014: Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa’s East Africa Response Force or the EARF has been positioned at the U.S. Embassy in Juba, South Sudan, since Dec. 18, 2013 when the initial evacuation of U.S. citizens took place.
The EARF is part of a Defense Department initiative of regionally aligned forces, which provides the commander of the U.S. Africa Command an additional capability to respond to crises and contingencies within East Africa
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Credit: Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa Combat Camera
- In the first photo, U.S. Army soldiers with Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa’s East Africa Response Force unload gear and supplies from a U.S. Air Force C-130J Hercules in Juba, South Sudan, Jan. 22, 2014
- In the second and third photos, U.S. Army soldiers with Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa’s East Africa Response Force load onto a U.S. Air Force C-130J Hercules to redeploy to Djibouti after being relieved by other members of their team in Juba, South Sudan, Jan. 22, 2014.Earlier, the force deployed to South Sudan on December 18, 2013.
- In the fourth and fifth photos, Soldiers of the East Africa Response Force load onto a U.S. Air Force C-130 Hercules at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, to support with an ordered departure in Juba, South Sudan, Dec. 18, 2013.
At the request of the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Defense Department directed two U.S. C-130 aircraft to move personnel from Juba, the capital of South Sudan, to Nairobi, Kenya. DOD also augmented physical security at American diplomatic facilities in Juba with members of the EARF, a Djibouti-based joint team assigned to Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa.
Working on USMC Helos at Camp Bastion, Afghanistan
01/20/201401/20/2014: Working on Helos at Camp Bastion, Afghanistan
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Credit: Regional Command Southwest:11/28/13
- In the first two photos, pilots return to Camp Bastion in their AH-1 Cobra Attack Helicopter following a routine mission in Helmand, Afghanistan Nov. 28.
- In the third photo, a Marine with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Sqaudron 369 washes the side of a UH-1Y Huey at Camp Bastion, Afghanistan Nov. 28. Every 14 days, Marines wash and inspect each helicopter to ensure it is operating correctly.
- In the fourth photo, Cpl. Joan Patrick, Lance Cpl. Joseph Hickman, and Cpl. Trey Walker reinstall the front turret of a AH-1 Cobra Attack Helicopter at Camp Bastion, Afghanistan Nov. 28.
- In the fifth photo, Lance Cpl. Joseph Hickman reinstalls the front turret of a AH-1 Cobra Attack Helicopter at Camp Bastion, Afghanistan Nov. 28.
- In the final photo, a Marine with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Sqaudron 369 scrubs the top of a UH-1Y Huey at Camp Bastion, Afghanistan Nov. 28.
Army Aviation Operating in Afghanistan
01/16/201401/16/2014: This slideshow looks at key assets from 1st Air Cavalry Brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division, attached to Task Force Knighthawk, 10th Combat Aviation Brigade operating in Afghanistan.
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Credit:10th Combat Aviation Brigade:11/26/13
- In the first photo, an AH-64 Apache helicopter makes its approach at Forward Operating Base Fenty in Logar Province, Afghanistan, Nov. 26, 2013.
- In the second photo, a CH-47F Chinook helicopter from Bravo Company, 3rd Battalion (General Support), Task Force Knighthawk, 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, makes its approach at Forward Operating Base Fenty in Logar Province, Afghanistan, Nov. 26.
- In the third photo, an UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter from 2nd Battalion (Assault), Task Force Knighthawk, 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, makes its approach at Forward Operating Base Fenty in Logar Province, Afghanistan, Nov. 26. A second aircraft can be seen in the distance just above the mountains
- In the fourth and fifth photos, an HH-60M Black Hawk helicopter from Charlie Company DUSTOFF, 3rd Battalion (General Support), Task Force Knighthawk, 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, makes its approach at Forward Operating Base Fenty in Logar Province, Afghanistan, Nov. 25.